


Under the Moonlight

by LaCacciatrice (orphan_account)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, just a simple and boring study of ladybug's feelings for chat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:27:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22326322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/LaCacciatrice
Summary: He was always happy to be there for her, wait for her. Today, she was determined to tell him he no longer needed to wait. She was finally willing to meet him halfway. She was ready to give him what he always desired. Her heart and everything that came with it.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 17
Kudos: 83





	Under the Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> English isn’t my first (or second or third) language, I apologize for every grammar mistake and typo (since I am too lazy for proof-reading)

One thing that can be admired by everyone around her was Marinette’s loyalty. She was loyal to a fault. That was known by everyone around her, and most considered this to be one of her great qualities. Yet, there were downsides, too. A part of her obsession with Adrien came from her loyalty. They were never together, she never made any promises to Adrien, yet, she was devoted to him. She wouldn’t even think of another boy for a moment. There was no place for someone else in her heart. At the age of 14, she decided to give her heart to Agreste boy and like every time she made a promise, she was  determined to keep it. 

Yet, here she was. Standing behind a column and watching her partner as he was leaning against a gargoyle of Notre Dame, singing softly while waiting for her. Her hands tightened around the thick bricks as she swallowed. Only one step forward and he would know she was there; he was waiting for her for at least 15 minutes now. Still, he didn’t show any annoyance, any impatience. He was always happy to be there for her, wait for her.

Today, she was determined to tell him he no longer needed to wait. She was finally willing to meet him half way. She was ready to give him what he always desired. Her heart and everything that came with it. 

She was only 14 when she fell in love with that gorgeous green-eyed boy in his class. She never considered love before. She never claimed to be in love. She wasn’t even interested in love except silly romance novels and young adult books. Fiction was the only source for these kind of things for her. And when she lay awake at night, she would dream of passionate love stories. But when she met Adrien, it was like a lightning strike. It was fast, earth shattering and suddenly her world was upside down. Her eyes followed him everywhere he went, her thoughts were surrounded by his existence. Her entire being turned into a moon and fell into his orbit. She didn’t stop and think for a second, knowing the intensity of her feelings, she declared her undying love for the green-eyed boy, never hiding her affection for the model from her friends. Thus, she never felt a need to consider other types and forms of love. What else was there? She didn’t think. Because above all, Marinette was happy to be in love with Adrien. She didn’t need Adrien to hold her hand or kiss her to be happy. She dreamed of those things, hoped and yearned for them. But being in love with Adrien was what made her happy. She opened her eyes in the morning and thought of him with a lazy smile on her face. She went to bed with a content smile, thinking only of her first and only love. 

The first time she actually considered Chat Noir as a serious love interest was terrible. Until that night, everything in her life had a label. She was a well-organized girl, keeping everything separated in her mind. She loved her family, Alya was her best friend, she was in love with Adrien. Chat Noir had ‘partner’ and ‘good friend’ labels stuck on him for years. She didn’t question the softness in her own voice, her shining eyes when she talked about him with Alya, Nino and Adrien. She felt affection for both Alya and Nino, Chat was no different in her book. Her affection for him came easily to her. She had a big heart and too much love to share and for a while she was suspicious that, where she received all the love she needed in her life, Chat barely experienced any. 

He was lying in her arms as she waited for her Cure to take his pain away when she felt the biggest desire to lean down and kiss him, to tell him  _ ‘stay with me, my world would go dark without your light’ _ . She didn’t register or question this desire; this need until she was alone in her room in the middle of the night as an ordinary teenage girl that went through another traumatizing experience of witnessing the almost-demise of her partner. She didn’t even think about the awkwardness of this feeling until her eyes met with Adrien’s through his poster. Her beautiful blue eyes widened with sudden realization. She told herself it was normal; she was scared of losing him. She wanted to protect him. She didn’t ever want to see him in pain. And yes, without Chat, her life would be a lot of darker. That didn’t mean much since she felt almost the same way about Alya. 

What scared her was the desire to kiss him that came with the fear of never being able to kiss him if he died. She would never be able to hold him, kiss him, hug him. The fear clutched her heart like an iron grip, she felt selfish for wanting to keep him close to her without promising him anything. Her heart completely belonged to Adrien, after all. She had nothing to offer to him. Yet, she never wanted to see him leave her. And truth to be told, the kiss wouldn’t mean much if it wasn’t followed by more powerful desires. She admitted her partner’s attractiveness a couple of times during her conversations with Alya. She could see why girls would like him. If she only wanted to kiss him because of her teenage hormones found her partner attractive, she could deal with those feelings easily. 

However, there was this burning desire, growing like a dangerous flame, like an ivy that wrapped around her heart before she could realize it. She noticed small things about him, she always did. How bright his smile could be, how messy his shiny blond hair was, his delicate fingers that looked like they belonged to a pianist. His tall, lanky frame. How his vivid green eyes softened when he looked at her. The way his lips formed the softest of smiles when he was talking to her. When he touched her, his fingers almost softly caressed her skin through the costume. 

She buried her face into her pillow, wishing those feelings to go away. She was in love with Adrien, she loved him, they would fall in love, buy a house and live together with their hamsters. Chat Noir could only exist like a friendly figure in this dream. But for some reason, she felt like he  cataclysmed this dream, without actually meaning it. She couldn’t even be mad at him; he was always open when it comes to his feelings. He never lied, he never hid, he never misled  her. He was an open book. It was her that was confusing, making everything difficult. 

_ “You don’t have to worry about me,” _ he told her once,  _ “I love loving you. I am happy, your friendship means everything to me. I can live with this.” _

Her heart shattered into million pieces, recognizing her own feelings for Adrien in Chat’s words. Except, Marinette loved the safe place of her love for Adrien, where she admired him from afar without confessing her love to him. When your heart is never broken, it’s easier to be happy after all. For Chat it was different. He was rejected by Ladybug. More than once. And with time, he learned to accept and live with it. Not actually moving on, but he was content with what they had.

Now, she was the one who wasn’t happy with  it. Chat made her brave from the first day they met. He gave her power to face the strongest enemies, biggest fears. His presence was like a warm aura wrapped around her, protecting her from every dark thought. With the power he placed in her, she was ready to shatter the walls of her safe space for once. She was ready to tackle, understand, question and act on her feelings. But a part of her was wary. This was Chat. The boy who loved her unconditionally for years. She couldn’t play with his feelings without being 100% sure of her own. 

So, she waited. Until tonight. She watched him. She watched herself. This was the first time she actually dared to consider different types and forms of love. Even if she fell in love with someone after Adrien, she always expected it to be just like her meeting with Adrien. Sudden, striking, strong. But with Chat it was warm, slow, soft. It was like a fuzzy, warm blanket wrapped around her. Where Adrien’s love made her knees go weak, Chat’s love made her heart warm up. 

She wanted to reach forward and run her hands through his messy hair. She wanted to memorize every part of his face, trace the lines of his mask. She wanted to feel the skin of his soft cheeks against her finger tips. She wanted to kiss him slowly, passionately. She wanted him to hug her, hold her close to his chest, feeling the slick surface of his costume against her cheek as she pressed her face against his shoulder. She wanted him to whisper sweet nothings to her like she read in those romance novels. She wanted to bake for him. She wanted him to sing for her like he often did jokingly. 

She wanted all of him. 

His friendship. His love. His support. His silly puns. His pain. His fears. His weaknesses. 

She was no longer 14. She was no longer a child. She knew there were different kinds of love. She knew she could love her partner with all her heart. No fear. No betrayal. No guilt. She knew he wasn’t perfect and that was okay. Neither was she. They were like puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly, completing each other’s shortcomings. 

She made several plans over the year, different ways of confessing to Adrien. All very romantic, over the top and almost poetic. Yet, she had no plan tonight. With Chat, she just couldn’t imagine making all those plans. He was her partner for years. They were always open with each other. They hid nothing if they could help it. So, Marinette decided to be open with him. She wanted to walk there, hold his hand and tell him how her heart yearned for his. She wanted to kiss him, feel his arms wrap around her as she  forgets even her name. 

“Girl, Ladybug is totally in love with Chat Noir”, Alya claimed one day, making Marinette almost choke on her smoothie. 

“Why would you say that?” She squeaked, hoping Alya wouldn’t notice her reddened cheeks that mostly appeared around Adrien Agreste before.

“You should have seen them,” Alya explained excitedly, “the last time I saw them, Ladybug couldn’t stop touching that the boy. Most of the time, her hand was on his shoulder or holding his wrist. I swear, her voice softened when she was talking to or about him. She looked at him like—like how you look at Adrien.” Alya chuckled softly. “See, girl, I am an expert at this, thanks to you.”

Then there was the time when they tumbled on the ground and fell on each other. His face was so close to  hers; his wide cat-like eyes were hypnotizing and for a moment Ladybug felt a desire to reach forward and press her lips against his. But Chat yelped and pulled away as he apologized fervently. Ladybug looked at his reddened cheeks with an amused expression. They were both a huge mess. Perfect for each other. 

But the moment that really made her aware of her own feelings came a week ago. They were sitting on a rooftop together, watching the streets down below under the full moon. His hair looked almost silver with moonlight, his eyes were shining in the darkness of their hidden place, away from the curious gazes of the citizens that wanted to catch a glance of their heroes. 

“I want you to promise me something.” She said softly, feeling like an emotional mess that night. 

“Anything.” He replied easily. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t think. And he was genuine. He would do anything for her. She knew it. Her heart burned with a desire to confess then. She wanted him to know that it wasn’t for nothing. That he wasn’t waiting for nothing. She was here. She was with him. And so was her heart. 

She swallowed.

“If... anything happens, you will find me. You will come and find me. Without masks.”

“What?” He looked confused. This wasn’t what he expected. “What kind of  thing? What’s going on?”

He looked alarmed. Worry shadowed his handsome features. 

“Nothing.” She smiled softly. “I... I just feel tired. And, I don’t know. I didn’t have a good day.” She turned her blue eyes to him. “I just want you to know that, I am here. With you. Because I want to.”

“Ladybug, is everything alright?” His eyes softened, hand reaching forward to hold her hand. Nothing romantic. Just friends comforting each other. “You can talk to me.”

“I know.” She looked down at the streets, no longer meeting his eyes. “I had a dream I was dying.” She muttered. “My hand slipped. I fell. My transformation dropped before I hit the floor. And my last thought was...” She looked up at him through her lashes, “of you.”

“Me?” Hs eyes widened.

“I thought ‘Chat will never know who I am, who I was’. I was worried you would never know the truth. You would think I ditched you, left all the burden on your shoulders and ran away.” _ And I want you to know, _ she thought,  _ I want you to know me. I want you to know I would never leave you. Nothing can keep me away from you. So, if I get lost, come find me, so I can find you, too. So, we can still be Ladybug and Chat Noir, even without the mask. Because I can’t image my life without the boy behind the mask anymore.  _

He chuckled.

“Ladybug, come on. You know I would never think that way of you.” His smile softened. “You are the bravest, most selfless person I’ve ever known. I know, if you could, you would take my responsibilities, too. Because that’s who you are.” 

He always spoke of her with admiration coloring his voice. In his eyes, she was the ultimate hero. She was the poster girl of bravery, wisdom, courage. 

She turned her hand in his and wrapped her fingers around his hand. She looked into his eyes.

“I am who I am today, thanks to you.” He opened his mouth to protest but she laughed softly. “If you didn’t stand beside me, if you didn’t encourage me, I wouldn’t be here today.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here today, too.” He whispered back. 

And she knew. She knew then. This selfless, trusting, charming boy was the one she wanted. The one she needed. It wasn’t hero worship, his feelings for her, he was always there along the way as she stumbled, he witnessed her mistakes, her failures. He knew her in a way that no other people in this planet did. And he loved her. 

And she loved him back. 

She loved him with her entire being, her whole heart that sometimes it scared her. This love felt so delicate in her hands. There were so many obstacles, so many problems, fears... Yet, she never felt a bigger desire to overcome everything in her way. 

She wanted to love Chat. She wanted to love him freely, without the entire world watching them to catch a weakness. She wanted to love him the way he deserved to be loved. Completely and unconditionally.

Finally, she took a step forward. Chat Noir’s head turned toward her and his face immediately lightened up as he noticed her.

A small yet determined smile appeared on Ladybug’s lips. She was ready to take this next step, to confess and accept their love for each other. She feared nothing. No one. Not even Papillon could stand in her way to this boy.

“Hello, Chaton.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I am lanthimo on tumblr


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